Tackle box for suspended storage

ABSTRACT

A novel tackle box is disclosed which employs hook attaching means comprising a vertical slot adapted to receive the hooks of artificial fishing bait. The hook attaching means are secured to the top inside of the tackle box or to one or more horizontal shelves in said box so that any bait stored is suspended during storage. Suspension allows for drying of the tackle and prevention of rust. The tackle may be easily inserted and easily removed from the slots. The box provides an effective storage means and method especially for unwieldy and cumbersome baits.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

None.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX

Not applicable.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to storage of artificial fishing lures and hooks.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Fishing is a popular sport and commercial venture, and specialized luresfor attracting fish are widely used. Many of these lures are fairlyunwieldy and susceptible to tangling during transport to the fishingsite. In addition, the hooks employed in lures should be secured toprevent injury to the human users of these devices. So called “spinners”are particularly difficult to store due to one or more danglingcomponents.

Consequently, several designs for tackle boxes have been reported in theart. Where some organizational features have been provided in tackleboxes, a need continued for a tackle box that would allow lures to dry,and provide ease of insertion and removal.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In an embodiment, the invention is a storage system for artificialfishing bait attached to a hook, comprising a container and one or morehorizontal planar surfaces attached to said inside wall so that saidhorizontal planar surface extends across said container. Hook securingmembers comprising a top plane and a vertical plane extending downwardlyfrom said top plane are attached to said horizontal planar surfaces. Thevertical plane of the hook securing member defines a slot adapted toreceive fishing hooks of artificial bait, whereby said hooks may beremovably hung on said slot so that the hook will be nearer the top ofsaid container than the remainder of said bait. This allows the bait tobe stored in a suspended fashion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred tackle box, showing two rowsof hook attaching members inside the tackle box and a door comprisingtwo sections opening outwardly from a generally central line;

FIG. 2A is a partial perspective view of a tackle box illustrating hookattaching members slidably disposed in a bracket attached to horizontalpanels;

FIG. 2B is a partial perspective view of a tackle box illustrating hookattaching members secured to a horizontal plane;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a tackle box illustrating alternativecomponents that may be employed in addition to or instead of thecomponents illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view of the tackle box illustrating auser hooking a treble hook onto the hook attaching member; and

FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view of a tackle box illustratingoptimal storage conditions.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A novel tackle box is herein disclosed which provides for suspension ofartificial fishing lures and ease of insertion and removal of theselures.

The invention comprises a tackle box which may be of any configurationbut which is preferably generally a rectangular container. Otherconfigurations can be used such as a cylindrical container or a circularcontainer as long as it is possible to provide for the suspension ofbaits.

The tackle box comprises an opening and a door or lid which may beopened and closed and which in open position provides access to thetackle and which in closed position covers the tackle box opening andsecures the contents of the tackle box for transport and the like. It isconvenient to provide a handle secured to the outside of the box forease of transport.

Inside the tackle box are provided one or more horizontal shelves whichcomprise horizontal planes to which hook attaching members can besecured. The hook attaching members are generally “T-shaped” andcomprise a top plane and a vertical plane extending downward from thetop plane. The vertical plane comprises a slot which is horizontal innature and which generally extends from the tackle box door opening tothe rear of the tackle box. The slot is adapted to receive the hooks ofartificial lures. The top plane of the hook attaching members can befirmly and statically attached to the horizontal plane of the tacklebox, or can be slidably disposed in a bracket adapted to receive the topplane of the hook attaching member. One or more rows of hook attachingmembers can be provided on each shelf in the tackle box. In a preferredembodiment, 5-6 hook attaching members are provided on each shelf, andeach shelf allows for a 4-inch clearance for the baits to suspenddownwardly from the hook attaching members.

Optionally, the horizontal planes may be slidably disposed in bracketsprovided in the tackle box interior or may be attached in a staticmanner. Multiple brackets may optionally be provided so that the area inwhich the baits will be suspended can be adjusted by the user. Thetackle box may also be provided with a drawer for keeping miscellaneousitems. As another optional feature, an attaching means may be providedon the outside of the tackle box that can engage with a receiving meanswhich may be installed on a boat or dock. This feature allows the userto transport the box to the fishing location and to secure it in anupright position during fishing. The attaching means can slide into orlockingly engage with the receiving means.

In another embodiment, a portable tackle box suitable for holding 1-10artificial lures may be provided with a means for attachment to a beltor waistband of the user. In this embodiment, one to two hook attachingmeans would be provided.

The tackle box may be made of any material, but preferably is made frommolded plastic so that it is lightweight yet sturdy. Techniques formolding the component parts of the tackle box are well known in the art.

Now referring to the Figures illustrative of the invention. FIGS. 1 and3 are versions of preferred embodiments, a vertically oriented tacklebox 5 with rows of hook attaching members 20 inside the box. The tacklebox 5 is comprised of a top 2 and bottom 8, two opposing side panels 4and 6, a door 12 or 70, and a back panel 10. The tackle box alsopreferably has a handle 3 for carrying, located on the top panel 2.

In FIG. 1, the door is comprised of two panels 12A and 12B hinged onvertical axis 15. The panels swing out to the side in opposite directionand close in the center and may be secured with latches 14. Alternately,FIG. 3 shows the door as a single panel 70 on a horizontal axis 72,opening by dropping down perpendicular to side panels 4 and 6 and awayfrom the top 2. Door 70 may be secured to top 2 with latches 14 when inclosed position.

Also shown in FIG. 3 is an optional side bracket 62, attached to theoutside surface of side panel 4 and/or side panel 6 (not shown). Sidebracket 62 has a corresponding mounting bracket 60. The mounting bracket60 can be attached to a vertical surface, such as on a boat or a dock.The user can attach side bracket 62 to mounting bracket 60, to securethe tackle box and prevent tipping.

Also shown in FIG. 3 is optional sliding drawer 68 to hold miscellaneousitems.

The inside of tackle box 5 has at least one horizontal shelf 18. Theunderside of the shelf 18, and/or inside of the top panel 2, comprisethe horizontal planes 16 to which the hook attaching members 20 can besecured. The horizontal interior planes 16 run the entire length andwidth of the inside dimensions of the tackle box. Hook attaching members20 hang perpendicularly from each of these horizontal planes. As shownin FIG. 3, the entire horizontal shelf 18 can also be mounted onbrackets 64, to allow the user to slide out the shelf for removal andreplacement of the shelf as a whole.

FIGS. 2 and 4 show the hook attaching members 20 in greater detail. Thehook attaching members are “T-shaped” and generally extend the depth ofthe tackle box 5. The top plane 21 of the members attaches in a parallelfashion to the underside of the horizontal interior planes 16. Thevertical plane 23 of the members hangs perpendicularly downwards fromplane 21 and consequently from the horizontal interior planes 16. A slot22 in the vertical plane 23 is adapted to receive hooks for variousfishing tackle, including but not limited to baits and hooks 30, 31, 32,33, 34, 35 and 36. When the tackle is hooked onto slot 22, it is storedin a suspended manner which allows for thorough drying of the tackle andthe prevention of rusting.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the hook attaching members 20 can be attached tothe horizontal plane 16 by brackets 40, which allow the user to slidethe hook attaching members in and out for easy access. Alternatively, asshown in FIG. 2B, the hook attaching members 20 can be fastened directlyand immovably to the horizontal plane 16.

FIG. 4A shows a user hooking a treble hook 35 onto the hook attachingmember 20. In this example, one prong 39 is placed inside the slot 22.FIG. 4B demonstrates how the treble hook 35 hangs, with a prong 39through the slot 22 in the same manner as hooks 36.

FIG. 5 shows how a tackle hook 35 or 36, when a prong 39 is placedthrough the slot 22 in the hook attaching member, can be slid along thehook-attaching member 20. This would allow the user maximum space forhanging multiple tackle in a similar fashion.

1. A storage system for artificial fishing bait attached to a hook,comprising: a container having a vertical inside wall, a containerinside top surface and a container inside bottom surface; a firsthorizontal planar shelf attached to said vertical inside wall so thatsaid horizontal planar shelf extends across said container, said firsthorizontal planar shelf having a top and a bottom; hook securing memberscomprising a top plane and a vertical plane extending downwardly fromsaid top plane, said vertical plane defining a slot adapted to removablyhang hooks of artificial bait on said slot thereby suspending said bait,said top plane secured to said bottom of said first horizontal planarshelf.
 2. The storage system of claim 1, further comprising hooksecuring members attached to said container inside top surface andwherein said first horizontal planar shelf is located a sufficientdistance from said container inside top surface to permit artificialbait hung on said hook securing members attached thereto to be suspendedabove said first horizontal planar shelf.
 3. The storage system of claim1, wherein said container is a box having at least three vertical insidewalls and a door or lid.
 4. The storage system of claim 3, wherein saidbox is generally rectangular and is from about 6 inches to about 24inches in height, about 12 inches to about 48 inches in width and about3 inches to about 12 inches in depth.
 5. The storage system of claim 1,further comprising a second horizontal planar shelf having a top and abottom surface, said second horizontal shelf attached to said insidevertical wall, wherein said second horizontal shelf is positioned asufficient distance from said first horizontal planar shelf to permitartificial bait suspended from hook securing means attached to thebottom to said first horizontal shelf to be suspended above the top ofsaid second horizontal shelf.
 6. The storage system of claim 5, furthercomprising a third horizontal planar shelf having a top and a bottomsurface, said third horizontal shelf attached to said inside verticalwall, wherein said third horizontal shelf is positioned a sufficientdistance from said second horizontal planar shelf to permit artificialbait suspended from hook securing means attached to the bottom to saidsecond horizontal shelf to be suspended above the top of said thirdhorizontal shelf.
 7. The storage system of claim 1, further comprisingone or more additional components selected from horizontal shelves,drawers, or compartments.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein said tacklebox further comprises one or more brackets attached to said insidevertical wall adapted to receive said horizontal shelf and into whichsaid shelf is slidably disposed.
 9. The system of claim 7, wherein saidtackle box further comprises one or more brackets attached to saidinside vertical wall adapted to receive said component, into which saidcomponent is slidably disposed.
 10. The system of claim 1, furthercomprising a two piece attaching means comprising a first piece and asecond piece, said first piece attached to the outside wall of saidtackle box and said second piece adapted to be attached to a wall orobject so that said first piece may engage with said second piecethereby securing said tackle box in an upright position.
 11. The storagesystem of claim 1, wherein said hook securing member is made of flexiblematerial and is from about 1/64 to ½ inches thick.
 12. A molded plasticfishing box, comprising: a generally rectangular container having avertical inside wall, a horizontal container top having an inside wall,a horizontal container bottom having an inside wall and a vertical door;one or more horizontal planar shelves attached to said vertical insidewall so that each of said horizontal planar shelves extends across saidcontainer, each of said horizontal planar shelves having a top and abottom; a hook securing strip having a top portion and a bottom edge,said top portion attached to one or more of said bottom surfaces of saidhorizontal planar shelves, said strip having slots adapted to removablysecure hooks of artificial fishing bait and said strip sufficiently longto span the approximate depth of said container.
 13. The box of claim12, wherein said hook securing strips are attached to said container topinside wall, and said horizontal planar shelves are positioned asufficient distance from said container top inside wall to permitsuspension of said artificial fishing bait from said hook securingstrips attached thereto.
 14. The box of claim 12, wherein two to sixtyfour strips are attached to each of said horizontal planar shelves. 15.The box of claim 12, wherein four to eight strips are attached to eachof said horizontal planar shelves, and wherein there are 2-3 horizontalplanar shelves attached to said box.
 16. The box of claim 13, whereintwo to sixty four strips are attached to said container top inside wall.17. The box of claim 13, wherein four to eight strips are attached tosaid container top inside wall and to each of said horizontal planarshelves.
 18. The box of claim 12, wherein said box further comprises anattaching means secured to the exterior of said box for attaching to abelt, boat dock, or other object.
 19. The box of claim 12, wherein saidtackle box further comprises one or more brackets attached to saidinside vertical wall adapted to receive one of said horizontal shelvesinto which said shelf is slidably disposed.
 20. The box of claim 12,wherein said top portion of said hook securing strip is a top planarsurface and said slot is defined by a vertical planar surface extendingdownwardly from said top planar surface.
 21. The box of claim 20,wherein said top planar surface is permanently secured to said tacklebox.
 22. The box of claim 20, wherein said top planar surface isremovably secured to said tackle box.
 23. The box of claim 22, whereinsaid tackle box further comprises one or more brackets secured to one ormore bottoms of said horizontal shelves, said brackets adapted toreceive said top planar surface of said hook securing strip, wherebysaid top planar surface is removably slidably disposed in said bracket.24. The box of claim 22, wherein said tackle box further comprises oneor more brackets secured to said container top inside wall top, saidbrackets adapted to receive said top planar surface of said hooksecuring strip, whereby said top planar surface is removably slidablydisposed in said bracket.